Teachers getting worked over by tdsb, the framing game and what can be done to help?

Teachers getting worked over by tdsb, the framing game and what can be done to help?

Hello and welcome to my first post.

I scanned this site and various forums looking for any discussions on the current battle between teachers and the TDSB. Not so much about the Ontario Gov't position but how the TDSB has been deskilling these professionals by implementing...imposing in various ways onto the teachers authoritarian rules regulations and procedures designed to alienate teachers from each other, parents and ultimately students.

An example of this involves upcoming progress reports. The teachers were told by their union rep to follow the tdsb guide lines when filling out the reports, which are NOT report cards as is being widely and falsely claimed in the media. Most people have heard about this already. The tdsb as a reply to this rather benign protest which isn't a protest at all and doesn't negatively affect students or parents but simply follows tdsb guidelines, was to cancel the already completed reports and replace the report with a letter sent out to parents instead. This letter will or does state or imply that because teachers didn t fill out the progress reports (not true) there will not be a report to send out (not true). The teachers union made a rebutal letter to be sent out along with the tdsb letter explaining to parents essentially that the reports were done and the teachers have the students progress information which could instead be given verbally at the next parent teacher meeting. The Tdsb sent out a warning that if teachers send these letters home it will be seen by the tdsb as promoting their union in schools or something which is prohibited on school property. i don't know the details on this but it's very bad for teachers.

I'm not much of an activist although I do make a point to pay attention to what's going on around me.

So because I don't know what to do i will ask a question or two and see where this goes. Firstly why isn't this being discussed on this site? Does no one know about this?

What if citizens, parents, non teachers could work with teachers to some degree, to at the very least help get these letters out to other parents so that ultimately parents are better informed, the teachers get there point of view out and get around the oppressive constraints which allow them to be easily manipulated in the media? Perhaps a more community based direct action/horizontal initiatives are needed? Seems pretty simple, in my head anyway. I have forms, I hand them out while I'm at my parent teacher interview because teachers aren't allowed to. i ask parent who takes form to hand out a few to her frineds. And so on, and so on. I'm noticing this stuff everywhere. It like there is a global crisis of management. Rediculous disconnected nonsense being dictated on high to the management who dump it sideways or down the line (whatever covers their ass best) where it all collects at the bottom. My work has been reduced to a bunch of scared isolated robots obsessed with email chains which they need to cover their ass from poorly managed and coordinated jobs that have been past through the various broken departements. The materials i get from my suppliers are inconsistent, the suppliers themselves are going thrsugh the same crap...It's like the world is turning into a bell Canada customer service call.

Does anyone know how to connect with any occupy like horizontal movements? I like what's going on in the USA.